Sport

Rossiter tells Bomber to relax

First published
in Sport
by Andy Warren, Deputy sports editor, awarren@swindonadvertiser.co.uk, @AndyWarren_

SWINDON Robins boss Alun Rossiter believes home favourite Chris Harris needs to block all memory of his Grand Prix victory in 2007 out of his mind as he returns to Cardiff tonight.

Bomber superbly passed Greg Hancock on the final corner five years ago to claim a magnificent victory in what was his first season of World Championship racing, but has struggled to replicate that
form ever since.

Rossiter will once again be in his former Coventry captain’s corner at the Millennium Stadium tonight, and believes Harris needs to focus on the job in hand if he is to kick-start his quest for a
top eight spot.

“It was a great achievement for him to have won the Grand Prix at Cardiff, but that is gone now and he needs to blank it out and concentrate on the job in hand,” he said.

“He has to stay focussed and make sure he does a good job because there is a lot of pressure on him to perform because of everything that happened before.

“He needs to really be looking to get a semi and a final because at the moment he is 24 points off eighth, and he has some ground to make up.

“But there is no better place to do it than in front of your home crowd.”

Harris himself is keen not to put any pressure on himself going into his home GP, and is trying to relax just in the way he did when he tasted victory five years ago.

“I remember back in 2007 we didn’t put up any goals,” he said.

“At the start of the season I wasn’t expected to do anything, and deep down I wasn’t expecting myself to do anything.

“When I went into the Grand Prix, I said that if I got five points from each round, I’d be happy.

“That’s a point a race and I knew I was in the elite competition but now I expect more and I know I’m capable of doing it.

“That first year in the Grand Prix was about enjoying it and having fun. Like Antonio Lindback said after winning in Terenzano, he’s having fun again and that’s what it’s all about.

“When you’re having fun, the results come.

“He won his first Grand Prix and he has had a lot of attempts at it. But he is a good rider, he’s started enjoying it again and we saw what happens – you get results like that.”